Jay has been working hard to keep Teton Pass open for the past six weeks, even through the shutdown that considers him “nonessential staff.” If you believe Jay is an essential part of Teton Pass, consider chipping in to help Jay cover expenses. Give a gift through Friends of Pathways and we’ll make sure Jay gets paid for all his hard work.

Pistono said he feels like if he doesn’t continue working, bad things could happen. With 400-plus cars a day parking at the top, it takes just one mistake.

“Without a little bit of refereeing it could get chaotic in a hurry,” he said. “I feel like if I don’t go up there, you might get that one glitch that closes the access. That kind of hanging by a thread thing will always be the situation.”

So he continues emptying trash cans full of dog poop, reminding people of where it’s unsafe to park, and trying to keep the relationship between Teton Valley commuters, skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, dogs and the Wyoming Department of Transportation intact. Luckily for Pistono, his former employer, the nonprofit Friends of Pathways, is helping somewhat pad the lack of paycheck. But he’ll soon be in the negative again.

“Hopefully it won’t last for too much longer,” he said. “There are a lot of us in the same situation, living paycheck to paycheck. I don’t know too many folks who are casual about it … it’s a weird feeling not to get money.”

Read more about how the shutdown is affecting workers in Teton County, including the Teton Pass Ambassador, who is employed by the Bridger-Teton National Forest and supported by Friends of Pathways.

Snow King and Munger trails are good to go and Teton Pass is slowly but surely melting out. The TFR trails on the south side of the pass are in pretty good shape and should be riding nicely for their Pass Bash on Saturday. Everything else is probably still and out and back exploration from the bottom until you hit the snow line. The one exception may be the Ridge trail which you can link from the Phillip’s trailhead to Fish Creek road by using portions of the BPA powerline road that tends to melt out quicker than the shaded trail around the Snotel section. On Saturday you should start your day with bagels and coffee and at the base of Old Pass Road and then stay and help us build some new bridges with the USFS for National Trails Day. We will finish up with lunch and beverages and then you can continue on to the Pass Bash and make a full day of supporting and enjoying the trails!

The Cache Game trails are a go for the season! Things have melted out about 3 weeks ahead of last year and the crews cleared the Cache Game divide, West Game, and Wilson this week. I would say the trails are 99.9% good with a few seeps and water problems that we will address this summer. Munger is also in great shape after crews got a few more trees off of Tusky and Squaw. Teton Pass continues to melt out and the snow line is receding daily. All of the trails there make a good out and back starting from the bottom and exploring your way up to the snow line. Again if you see any trees down on trails or other problems let us know and we will get he crews out to fix them. Also a reminder that the Skyline trail remains closed until July 1 each year to protect elk calving in the area. I would say Cache to Game is the trail choice for the holiday weekend so get out and enjoy!

There are many more trails melting out and would be dry if only the rain would let up. The Putt Putt side of the Cache Creek drainage is drier than the Hagen side which is still holding a few snow patches and muddy spots. Crystal Butte and Josie’s Ridge are in great shape and the Nelson Knoll loop too if you are looking for the best views. You can connect across Sink or Swim with only a little snow remaining on the face of Snow King, and Game Creek continues to dry out making for a longer out and back option. Once again remember to stay off the trails when they are wet. A good rule of thumb is to wait for the streets in town to dry before heading out, and always look behind you, if you are leaving tracks of any kind on the trail it may be better to wait a bit. I’ll definitely be waiting for Sunday which looks to be the nicest weather window this weekend. See you out there!

The trails continue to dry out and the crew had a busy week clearing 162 trees off of Wilson, Ferrin’s, and the Munger Mountain trails. Munger is in good shape with only a few seeps and wet spots and a few trees left on Wally World where we ran out of time and gas. Ferrin’s is dry up to the bottom of the meadow but there are several feet of drifted snow above that. The upper reaches of Hagen and Putt Putt are also slowly melting out and you can make it several miles up Game Creek with a few spots where the creek is on the road or water is bubbling out of gopher holes but it is passable. On Teton Pass Parallel is in good shape and the lower parts of Crater, History, Old Pass Road, Blacks, Ridge, Phillip’s Canyon, and Big Rocks are melting out and make good excursions to find where the snow line is each day. The crew will be clearing trees and cleaning drains there starting next week. Remember when we do get precipitation a good gauge of when the trails are dry enough to not cause damage is when the roads start to dry out. Have a great weekend!

With the nice weather this weekend there are several trails around Snow King that are in great shape for short excursions. The Sidewalk to Wiggle to Putt Putt link up offers a great 5K loop from the Cache or Nelson Dr. trailheads. The Hagen Highway and Sink or Swim are clear of snow except for the usual 100 ft section as you cross the ski area. All of the lower trails from the Wildlife Lane and Flat Creek trailheads are in good shape and Josie’s Ridge is snow free most of the way to the top. Around the Summit Trail area please stay on the trail and don’t shortcut straight up and down the hill to avoid snow. This causes highly erosive fall line trails to form. Have a fun weekend and enjoy the warm weather!

The road to the Cache Creek Trailhead has reopened, showing that with a good team, you can accomplish almost anything!

The Bridger-Teton National Forest, Town of Jackson and Parks and Recreation staff worked together this week to remove ice and standing water, to reopen the road to the Cache Creek Trailhead. Conditions on the road are still rough and could be a challenge for smaller vehicles, but the road is open to the trailhead in time for the weekend.

Parks and Recreation will resume normal grooming on Monday, with a full run back to Noker Mine.

If you see any staff, please thank them for their exceptional efforts!

Friends of Pathways, Trail Manager, Chris Owen and Bridger-Teton National Forest staff were recognized on October 26, 2016 for enhancing recreational opportunities, building public relevancy and changing lives by involving conservation youth corps to sustain resources and experiences on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Jackson and Greys River Ranger Districts
Bridger-Teton National Forest

Friends of Pathways Youth Trail Crew put ten local high school students to work on our most loved close-to-home trails during the summer of 2016. We’re currently working to fund the 2017 Youth Trail Crew Program. If you are interested in helping, contact Katherine Dowson at katherine@friendsofpathways.org.

Saturday’s Old Bill’s Fun Run was a great day for the Jackson Hole community. Thanks to everyone for participating and for visiting our booth in the historic town square for the 2016 Old Bill’s Fun Run! If you haven’t made your contributions yet- there’s still time to give to favorite local charities!

We are working to finish the last 2 miles of the Skyline Trail. We are working downhill towards the Game Creek Trail narrowing the wide bench that the trail machine built to support itself. This involves pulling down the backslope to prevent erosion, slightly outsloping the tread and making it 18 inches wide, and raking away the excess dirt on the downhill edge to allow snow and water to drain off the trail and to allow any vegetation covered up to regrow more quickly. Crews will be working throughout the fall and into next spring to complete this project.

@friendsofpathways

Ahh the winter that keeps on giving, we are still about a month behind last year in the trails drying out around the valley. With the snow last night and rain in the forecast the upper elevations that were getting dry are pretty slimy and slick. There may be some opportunities to get out during dry spells this weekend but I would recommend staying low and avoiding shady north facing trails. The crew this week cleared Ferrins and Wilson Canyon and they are both dry up to the meadows. Wilson Canyon has more water damage to the trail as the old cow retaining pond at the top has failed and water is running down the canyon for about a mile until it disappears underground. The crew also cleared the lower parts of History, Crater, and Black Canyon on the pass. There is still a lot of snow lingering in the trees there, but Jim Verdone was able to plow Old Pass Road so that is a good dry option. If you see Jim give him a big thank you for all the work he is doing to keep the Old Pass Road in usable shape. Have a fun weekend and hopefully we will get a little sunshine.